Kansas acquires transfer Tarik Black from Memphis

by joelcollins2

After landing the consensus No. 1 recruit, Andrew Wiggins, I thought that the Jayhawks additions for the 2013-14 season were complete. However, Kansas Coach Bill Self will not restuntil every roster spot is filled. The Jayhawks have added yet another big man to their already stacked squad.

The former Memphis Tiger, Tarik Black, is a 6’9”, 245 pound power forward. Black averaged 8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for Memphis his junior season. Tarik came out of high school with high expectations which he never met while at Memphis. He hopes a change of scenery will suit him well going into his senior year. Self has an increadible resume when it comes to transforming big men that come to KU.

This is another huge win for the Kansas Jayhawks. Tarik will be eligible to play immediately because he is a graduate-transfer. He graduated with a degree in organizational leadership; Bill Self hopes he’ll put that degree to work immediately at KU. Black will be one of the most experienced players at Kansas after the Jayhawks lost all five of their starters from the 2012-13 season.

“We received Tarik’s financial aid papers earlier today and we are thrilled he has chosen to play his final year of college basketball at KU,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “He will be a huge addition both physically and emotionally, especially from a leadership standpoint, as he will be the most experienced guy on our team entering next season.” He continued, “Tarik has played in a ton of big games and certainly has had good experience at Memphis,” Coach Self said. “He’s used to winning and can help us in both of our big positions. He can play the four and the five and we look forward to moving him around. He’ll be an impact player that certainly changes the outlook of our team and makes us more versatile.”

Kansas will now have Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor, Landen Lucas, and Tarik Black all at the power forward position (Traylor can also play small forward). KU will not be lacking any big men in the 2013-14 season. But, let’s not forget the Jayhawks’ guards; that includes junior point guard Naadir Tharp and a bevy of athletic recruits.

Taking all of these things into account, this has not been too bad of a week for Coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. All jokes aside, KU fans cannot wait until Midnight Madness to see what this extremely athletic squad is made of. Tarik Black will have an opportunity to start if Joel Embiid is not yet ready. Former center Jeff Withey also transferred to Kansas and improved greatly. Tarik hopes that the same improvements will happen for him at the University of Kansas.